Workers at London Metropolitan University are set to strike on Thursday and Friday of this week against planned cuts that would slash up to a quarter of the jobs at the university. Management also plan to close the last on-campus student nursery.
Workers in both the UCU and Unison unions will take part in the action.
The strike is part of a campaign that has already seen some successes – notably the resignation of vice-chancellor Brian Roper in March. The campaign has also forced management to postpone plans to outsource services such as IT, and has delayed redundancy plans.
The UCU began “greylisting” – holding an academic boycott – against London Met in September. This the first time that the union has ever used greylisting.
“We believe that the cuts at London Met are only the tip of the iceberg,” said Mark Campbell, a lecturer at London Met and a member of the UCU national executive. “This is part of a much bigger fight about the kind of education system we want to have.”
Picket lines will run from 8am at each main campus building at London Met. Workers are also planning to hold a strike rally.
Go to » www.savelondonmetuni.blogspot.com for more details
Unions have called a general strike
Interview with a member of French revolutionary socialist group Autonomie de Classe
